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written by Guy Ottewell
This is a great exercise for teachers to help students visualize just how big our Solar System is. The relative size of the planets and their relative separation in space is demonstrated using a peppercorn to represent the size of the Earth.  By using this activity and information the students will be able to relate and visualize the size of the Solar System and the relative separation in space.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Astronomy
- Astronomy Education
- Solar System
- Middle School
- High School
- Elementary School
- Lower Undergraduate
- Instructional Material
= Activity
= Laboratory
Appropriate Courses Categories Ratings
- Physical Science
- Physics First
- Activity
- New teachers
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© 1989 Guy Ottewell
Keywords:
Scale, Solar System Size, planets, separation in space
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created January 5, 2004 by Kara Lehman
Record Updated:
September 26, 2021 by Lyle Barbato
Other Collections:

This ia a Great Exercise

Author: John Baitinger
Posted: March 5, 2006 at 3:38PM
Source: The Astronomy Center collection

I made scale models instead of using the peppercorn, walnut, etc.  The WOW factor is worth the time.

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Record Link
AIP Format
G. Ottewell, (1989), WWW Document, (https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html).
AJP/PRST-PER
G. Ottewell, The Thousand Yard Model (1989), <https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html>.
APA Format
Ottewell, G. (1989). The Thousand Yard Model. Retrieved June 13, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html
Chicago Format
Ottewell, Guy. The Thousand Yard Model. 1989. https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html (accessed 13 June 2025).
MLA Format
Ottewell, Guy. The Thousand Yard Model. 1989. 13 June 2025 <https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{ Author = "Guy Ottewell", Title = {The Thousand Yard Model}, Volume = {2025}, Number = {13 June 2025}, Year = {1989} }
Refer Export Format

%A Guy Ottewell %T The Thousand Yard Model %D 1989 %U https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html %O text/html

EndNote Export Format

%0 Electronic Source %A Ottewell, Guy %D 1989 %T The Thousand Yard Model %V 2025 %N 13 June 2025 %9 text/html %U https://web.archive.org/web/20210417021139/https://www.noao.edu/education/peppercorn/pcmain.html


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